I have never been able to make up my mind whether to concentrate on art, writing or natural history. I usually concentrate on one of the three for a while, then concentrate on another of the three. Art, writing and natural history are intwined in my life and often involve teaching a combination of these subjects.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Winter Aconite...Eranthis Hyemalis

I took this on February 21. Eleanor's Winter Aconite has been blooming since early in the month. There were below freezing days and also snow after it began blooming. You can see by this photo that the plants were not stopped by a little cold and snowy weather. This is one of those flowers that closes on dull days and opens on sunny days.
Tom took the rest of the pictures on February 22 with his Canon, a much more sophisticated camera than my little Fuji Z300.
.

Here is how her flowers look from the road.

And here is how they look up close. You can see that the flowers are beginning to fade. The petals are completely bright yellow when they are fresh.
Winter Aconite is garden flower which naturalizes easily if the conditions are right. It likes early morning sun. It is native to southern Europe and east across Asia to Japan. Its name comes from the Greek "akone" meaning "whetstone", probably because it grows in stony areas.

No comments:

About Me

I have been interested in art, writing and natural history since childhood.
After leaving elementary school teaching, I took a part-time job teaching drawing to children. That turned out to be a part-time job for the next twenty years. It was one of the most enjoyable jobs I have ever had.
During the same time I was a part-time educator for a local nature center and then an environmental educator for the county parks. When I am with children or adults in the woods or prairies or streams, I am sure there is nothing I could be doing that would make me happier. Throughout my teaching career, I have learned as much as I have taught. Along the way I have written articles and short stories and painted a lot of watercolors. Writing helps me understand myself and my world. Painting is pure pleasure.